Oddity
by Lens
Summary: Set in the time of presumably the 5th year.


(Alternate Universe)

Neville was a quiet one during the time of the early years of his stay at Hogwarts.

He tended the botanicals, and helped after class quietly.

"Neville, I found your frog...you must've forgotten about it again," Luna said to him lackadaisically, as he was tending the plants.

"Trevor! Thanks...uh..."

"Luna. Luna Lovegood." The girl smiled with a gentle air, though a bit without thought. Or in a way, it seemed that she had too much on mind.

"How'd you know my name?"

She didn't say how, but instead, smiled, and Neville felt a pang of thought connect into him. He then thought in oddity how he must've been known somehow to her in a previous time.

Then another thought came to mind. They had met earlier, sometime in the halls around the dining area, when Neville had dropped his books.

Neville smiled back, and said, "Sorry, I keep forgetting...Luna, how's it been?"

The fair-haired girl said, "Oh, I've just been curious about why you spend all your time here in the garden."

He said, "I just like tending...plants."

"Fascinating," she said, and oddly, without a hint of sarcasm.

"Though, wouldn't you like to sometimes hang out with someone, instead of simply being by yourself or talking with the teachers?"

Defensively, Neville noted, "I spend time talking to..." He could've said Hermione, or Harry, or Ron, but he knew that those three were off all the time throughout their own adventures, as Neville had to unwittingly find out when he was literally paralyzed in the Gryffindor Common Room.

A thought came to mind on the time, and Neville noticed he himself was hungry. "Well, how about we grab a bite at the mess halls?"

---

They went to the dining halls and talked about topics of discussion that Neville was enthusiastic about, but inwardly knew most others weren't. Oddly, Luna paid complete attention without a yawn. 

"...so around the 3rd month of the Draconian calendar year, the mandrakes are placed into soft..."

Luna then began to peculiarly lose complete interest, as Hermione passed by.

"...mud..." Neville forgot what he had been saying.

The brunette quirked an eyebrow, and asked, "Excuse me?"

"Bloody, I forgot what I was saying..." Neville then caught himself in a pang of worry. He had forgotten that Hermione was sensitive about her lineage after what happened before back then with Draco, or so he had heard from gossipers.

"Uh...Hermione, it's not what I mean!"

Hermione looked at Neville astutely, though in odd shock for a moment beforehand. "Of course..." After a quick glance at Luna, who seemed to have fallen asleep, Hermione then noted, "You must've been discussing...well, herbology."

The Gryffindor girl walked away and after a few moments of Neville catching his breath, and holding his hand to his head in relief, Luna picked her head up from the table.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I have a bit of narcolepsy at times. Do tell me more about the mandrakes."

And Neville and Luna chatted on during the course of their meal.

---

About a few days later in the garden, Neville realized he must've bored Luna back then, for he hadn't heard a word from her since the meal at the dining table.

"I don't understand. She seemed very interested in our discussion about the Terracus tree," Neville noted to Trevor, as the frog hopped along the plants.

As he tended a thorny plant, Trevor hopped out of sight, and Neville found his finger pricked. A droplet of blood appeared on his hand, as he took it out of the gardening gloves, one of which was torn.

"Ouch." Neville found he hadn't said it, but a familiar voice from behind.

"I think you'd have to tend to that, Neville."

Neville turned around, and saw a wholesome sight, though something seemed oddly out of place. Luna was holding a frog, which he recognized as Trevor. 

But, forgetting, Neville exclaimed, "Trevor!" He didn't know quite why, but he had the inward feeling that he had lost the frog a few days beforehand.

"I heard you had been looking for him from Susan."

Neville nodded, and grasped Trevor. "How'd you find him?"

"I had visited here earlier looking for you, and instead I found him, hopping along the plants."

Somehow, a pang of doubt came into him. He could've sworn inwardly that he'd daily been tending the garden. Though he rationalized that anyone could get lost in it once in awhile.

"Ah. Well, I'm just glad that I've found him again."

Luna nodded, and smiled brightly.

"It's about time to go to the dining hall as usual...You really have to tell me more about the Sarcophogus Plant..."

"Sarco...I don't think I've learned anything about that yet..."

"But we were discussing it just yesterday, Neville. Don't tell me you forgot?"

Neville thought in confusion, and then a flood of facts came into his mind, and he had remembered. "Ah, right, I was talking about the red leaves that bloom mid-..."

"September?"

"No, no, October," he smiled.

And they went on to the dining hall.

---

About a few days later, Neville had found he was learning the class material more accurately, and less forgetfully. Though, time had passed by quickly, and he'd find himself in odd places that he couldn't remember having gone to.

Peculiarly enough, he had been losing and finding Trevor at most of the places.

Though, he could've rationalized that the time he spent chatting with Luna made him more eager to learn basic materials.

It was as they were drinking butterbeers, that Luna asked of Trevor's hopping, of which she noted she noticed a limp.

"Yes, really, Luna..." Neville then yawned and stated quietly "Hopping...". Neville then saw a little of dust in his eyes, and turned his gaze blindly towards the right, "He's really so poor!"

Just at that moment, Ron, Harry, and Hermione had walked in, Ron wearing a tattered shirt. Ron looked rudely back at Neville, and exclaimed, "I just came out of a fight with Draco...He called Hermione a...well, what you called her earlier!"

"Ron! I told you not to mention it," Hermione exclaimed.

Neville had completely forgotten about that! And upon remembering, looked shocked with guilt. He looked at the trio, and the guys were angry, while the girl was upbraiding them as they walked out of the tavern.

Looking back towards Luna, or the place where she had been sitting, he noticed on the stool of her sitting place was Trevor.

Pondering what had happened, he found himself lost in thought, picked up Trevor, and decided to head to Gryffindor tower.

---

When Neville woke, he had felt like he had woken from a rather pleasant dream. Something about him tending botanicals and meeting a fair-haired girl.

He had passed through classes pondering if he had met this "Luna Lovegood" at all during the past few days.

He went to the garden, and reaffirmed the reality of the person, who seemed to have Trevor in hand again.

At the mess halls, Neville was munching on crispy chips, and Luna noted, "Did you hear about Draco and his father's new purchase for the team of broomsticks?"

Neville laughed while eating, and Luna motioned towards her forehead, her finger. Neville did the same, and noted with his mouth full of food, "What a star," sarcastically.

Within earshot and eyesight was Harry, who seemed furious as he paced towards Neville.

Noticing the boy-who-lived, Neville cheerily asked, "Hi, Harr..."

"First you call Hermione a ... and then Ron poor," Harry stated angrily, causing Neville to remember in a flood of odd memories.

And then a realization came to mind..."What a scar?" Neville said aloud, doubling Harry's fury. Neville hadn't realized that while he felt aloof, he appeared somewhat arrogant, or something like Draco whenever he was seen encountering Harry.

Neville panicked, and looked towards Luna, and found she was attentive, and looking apparently shocked.

"Neville, you shouldn't speak about Harry like that..."

"Luna? But, I..." Neville found himself empty of rational thought, just confusion.

"And you hang out with him?" Harry asked angrily, looking towards Luna.

"Honestly, Harry, I just met him today. I found Trevor for him, and he's treating me to a meal."

"That's not true!" Neville exclaimed, and Luna asked, "Didn't you lose Trevor?"

"Well, yes..."

Harry interrupted, and burst, "Seriously, I didn't think you were so rotten, Neville. I mean, after what happened to your parents," Harry noted unabashedly while Neville winced, "And Luna, I can't believe you'd hang out with..."

Thinking quickly, Neville noted, dejectedly, "We just met today."

Luna nodded, and noted, "Well, maybe we shouldn't meet another time, Neville." She cleared her tray, and walked off with Harry.

---

Back at the garden a few days later, Neville wondered if he had been living out a bad dream. People had been avoiding him in the halls and whispering snide remarks to the side. He'd seen Luna pass by in the halls, but she seemed to have a somewhat cold glance towards him.

As the months passed by, Neville felt more and more withdrawn, though he hadn't lost Trevor ever again since then. 

It was finally that Neville wished to figure what had happened out with Luna, and as she was about to pass him in the halls, he said, "Luna!"

She noted slightly coldly, though lackadaisically, "Have we met? You're Neville Longbottom, right?"

"Of course we've met. You've always found Trevor when I'd lose him..." Neville recalled, a flood of memories returning.

Luna shook her head, and noted, "I don't remember any of that. Quite frankly, I've heard disturbing things about you."

Looking around, Luna glanced towards the end of the hall, and noted, "If you'll excuse me," walking off.

Neville waited as the entire hall emptied before passing out.

---

Waking up, as if from a horrible dream, Neville looked at where he was, and found himself lifting his head. He had been reading about mandrakes apparently, and he glanced at the calendar of the classroom, of which he was studying.

Oddly enough, it had been the day of what he recalled as first meeting Luna.

As if realizing his dream was a portent, he stayed away from the garden, and kept close watch of Trevor. Whenever Harry, Hermione, and Ron passed by, he kept his mouth shut tight, and spoke very little or briefly to the members of the trio.

As time passed, word passed by that he-who-must-not-be-named had risen again to power, with the trio, Luna, and Ginny having disappeared.

Neville was somewhat dazed as he thought back to all the oddities, and the dreams of some other time lost to time where he had been in the Ministry of Magic, and as Bellatrix Lestrange uttered "Avada Kedavra" upon him, he wondered, "Was it all just a dream?" 


End file.
